Concrete Genie: The Blue Creature
by Ian Tophernicus
Summary: This is a short piece I wrote for a potential future version of Ash, struggling to reclaim the faded memories of his youth. I loved my playthrough of Concrete Genie and I hope this story can play a small part in brining about future installments to this beautiful game.


Sitting alone on the grassy mountaintop, you clutch at the swirling thicket, in the hopes of regulating your uneven breaths. The cool morning dew settles in your hair, down your back and over your arms. What little warmth you had left is whisked away by a sudden gust. Despairingly, you wrap your threadbare cloak tightly around you, thinking of the happier times, the long lazy afternoons spent with the blue creature. You remember the soft, velvety skin, the tentative growls and purrs that soothed your jangled nerves, how you would feel empowered to continue on your journey, confidant in the knowledge that your friend was close by. But that was a lifetime ago. Many things have changed since then and your view on the world has hardened. Darkness seemed to hang over you, entwining you with its slimy purple tendrils weighing heavily overhead. Day by day, the world has slowly lost some of its magic. It has become so hard to see the daily miracles that flit past, just beyond the confines of your vision. Each passing moment seems to blend into the next, stifling the world in a blurry cloud of deep heliotrope.

Something has changed. You can tell as much. The wind has lost its malevolent chill. The very air tingles, as though holding its breath. You slowly rise to your feet, shedding the cloak, feeling a ghostly prickling sensation spread across your back in quiet apprehension. Your initial cursory glances provide little in the way of an explanation, until something glimmers in the corner of your eye. You whip your head around, but your hair flops into your face, blotting out your vision. Hurriedly tucking it safely under your beanie, you wheel around, frantically searching for that elusive something. Then, you see it. You catch your breath in disbelief. You recognise those silky locks, notice the intricately carved totems that hang from their delicate cords, trailing gracefully in the breeze. You know the gleam in the corners of the eyes and the sweet, twitching nose that used to amuse you so. The Blue Creature has returned. Suddenly, a wellspring erupts deep within you, flooding you with a multitude of forgotten moments, of teasing comments, of sideways glances and words of comfort. You recall the first instant you laid eyes on it, delicately etching out the billowing fur and the enormous toothy smile, protecting the unspoken secret that carried unimaginable compassion and kindness. Your legs move on their own accord, closing the distance between you with each stride. All at once, you are safely wrapped in the warm embrace of those strong arms, shivering in delight as those long ears settle into place over your neck, sending a warm rush down your back, the way they've done countless times before.

For the first time in ages, you feel safe. You know that all you have been through was worth it. All of the adversity you faced was to strengthen your resolve. The oily purple sheen dissipates, as the rest of the world melts away, in a blaze of dazzling silvers, shimmering greens and opalescent pinks. You see gleaming yellows and sparkling reds, but the one colour that outshines the lot is the multihued Blue. As you peer over your friend's shoulder, you glimpse splintered fragments through the swirling vortex of colours. You see an infinite number of mountaintops and lush green rainforests. There are white, gleaming corridors, offset by expanses of shimmering black, moving in tandem with vivid violet nebulas of stars, forming in front of your eyes. More images still, of the murky blue depths of oceans, with all manners of bright schools of fish drifting past, of pristine beaches, tinted peach orange under the watchful gaze of a sinking sun. In each shifting image, one constant remains. A solitary person stands alone, in a multitude of different positions, with a hazy afterimage superimposed on top.

As you watch, the strange apparitions glow with a collective light, becoming more distinct and solid, with every passing second. Each of the creatures move as one, with a collective unity, striding around their respective figures, to get their attention, before backing away to wait. Many of the figures jump, glancing around for that fleeting image they are sure they caught sight of. Some remain immovable, unaware of the efforts made be their respective creatures, who wait patiently, at a respectful distance. A few stand without prompting, instinctually sensing some familiar presence about them. One figure cowers, with their hands clamped over their ears and their head buried in their lap. Their creature steps forward, crooning softly beside them, deftly folding the figure's hands in their own.

The figures that arose have similar expressions of wonder and amazement painted across their features. A great number of them charge forwards, before being safely ensconced into the warm embraces of their creatures. As you lean into your own dear friend, you feel a powerful warmth bubbling under the surface, the combined embrace of millions, crossing the boundaries of times long forgotten and spaces infinite, to lend each other a whispered word of comfort, a gentle reminder of our collective worth and value, a powerful affirmation of the inherent beauty possessed by all. In that instant, each figure's eyes met, staring back at each other. Then, it was all over. It may have lasted a second, or ten thousand lifetimes, but it was real. It was something beautiful. In acknowledgement, the Blue Creature presses you deeper into the embrace.

As your feet touch back down on the grassy hilltop, you step out of the embrace, holding the soft tufts of the Blue Creature's arms. You lock eyes with the creature, your voice brimming with so many unanswered questions. The creature's eyes sparkle with intelligence, no doubt holding the answers to the questions you have yet to give voice to, along with so many more of the unspoken secrets of the universe, but one message stands out clear as day.

"I know what you have gone through. I know what you have sacrificed and left behind. I know how challenging it was to scale this mountaintop. But I know that each and every step, each foothold and loose pebble of your journey, led you closer to me. Without the knowledge that we would meet again, you still made the trek, spurred on by the niggling feeling that something would be waiting for you at the summit. I see all of your struggles, the pains and hardships you have faced in your journeys and I absolve you of your injuries. I may one day be a fleeting memory for you, some faded apparition that you look back on fondly, with a hazy recollection of some wonderful dream. But in this moment, you have made me real once more."

As the creature gives you a final, reassuring squeeze, you step back to watch the shimmering aura playing over the creature's indistinct features. As the blue fur jives in the wind, it seems to wave a cheery farewell, before melting into a passing breeze.


End file.
